With any luck, this will become a hub for you to lead yourself through a sequence of learning activities relating to spelling, grammar, punctuation and proofreading. You will be able to work at your own speed and have options about what activities to do and when to do them. You will also be able to access this website at home so that you can revise what you have been doing or talk through difficult topics with adults at home. Here's a link to the video we watched at school about wikis: http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
The basic idea is this: there are levels of mastery in editing school, which I expect each person to move through at their own pace. To move up a level, you will need to complete a written assessment in class (I imagine that we will have a dedicated time for this each week). Some people may feel confident to learn two or three concepts per week (requiring you to pass three assessments), whereas others will feel much more comfortable taking the process one step at a time. Either option is ok so long as you are working within a comfortable yet challenging range for your own skills.
The assessments will be different depending on what is being tested - as I am making up this program myself there is no set pro forma for them as of yet and some may be taken from text books whereas others I will specifically make up for the program. I am expecting that for each level there will be some sort of certificate which you will be able to proudly display on your desk (although I have yet to make them - comic life here I come!)
The key to this is MOTIVATION! Unlike "normal" grammar / spelling lessons, you will not be able to cruise through the activities without actively engaging and trying to learn!! If you do so, you may find it difficult to pass the assessment and will stay on the same level for some time. There are no shortcuts! You will need to motivate yourself to concentrate and put in 100%.
In terms of the etiquette for this wiki, yes you can use this to start discussions and may edit pages when it is appropriate. I know that you are all fantastically trustworthy and kind individuals, so I will lay the rules down just so that I can say I did :)
1. Do not, under any circumstances, log in as another student. If you notice that you are logged in as someone else, kindly log out and log in with your own profile.
2. Maintain your friendly disposition towards each other as if you were in the classroom, even if you are working from home.
3. Language used must be appropriate, bearing in mind that the all-seeing, all-knowing Miss Sear will be keeping an close eye on this space.
4. Class time provided for Editing School must be used for the improvement of your mind, and should I discover anyone using their time to send messages and have a virtual chat, rather than work, they will find themselves with a nice large stack of grammar worksheets to complete instead of participating in Editing School.
Having said all that, and bearing in mind that this is a complete experiment on the part of your tirelessly wonderful teacher, let's make a start!! Use the menu on the left to navigate through the various levels - start at...Getting Started!
Welcome to Editing School 2010!
With any luck, this will become a hub for you to lead yourself through a sequence of learning activities relating to spelling, grammar, punctuation and proofreading. You will be able to work at your own speed and have options about what activities to do and when to do them. You will also be able to access this website at home so that you can revise what you have been doing or talk through difficult topics with adults at home. Here's a link to the video we watched at school about wikis:
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
The basic idea is this: there are levels of mastery in editing school, which I expect each person to move through at their own pace. To move up a level, you will need to complete a written assessment in class (I imagine that we will have a dedicated time for this each week). Some people may feel confident to learn two or three concepts per week (requiring you to pass three assessments), whereas others will feel much more comfortable taking the process one step at a time. Either option is ok so long as you are working within a comfortable yet challenging range for your own skills.
The assessments will be different depending on what is being tested - as I am making up this program myself there is no set pro forma for them as of yet and some may be taken from text books whereas others I will specifically make up for the program. I am expecting that for each level there will be some sort of certificate which you will be able to proudly display on your desk (although I have yet to make them - comic life here I come!)
The key to this is MOTIVATION! Unlike "normal" grammar / spelling lessons, you will not be able to cruise through the activities without actively engaging and trying to learn!! If you do so, you may find it difficult to pass the assessment and will stay on the same level for some time. There are no shortcuts! You will need to motivate yourself to concentrate and put in 100%.
In terms of the etiquette for this wiki, yes you can use this to start discussions and may edit pages when it is appropriate. I know that you are all fantastically trustworthy and kind individuals, so I will lay the rules down just so that I can say I did :)
1. Do not, under any circumstances, log in as another student. If you notice that you are logged in as someone else, kindly log out and log in with your own profile.
2. Maintain your friendly disposition towards each other as if you were in the classroom, even if you are working from home.
3. Language used must be appropriate, bearing in mind that the all-seeing, all-knowing Miss Sear will be keeping an close eye on this space.
4. Class time provided for Editing School must be used for the improvement of your mind, and should I discover anyone using their time to send messages and have a virtual chat, rather than work, they will find themselves with a nice large stack of grammar worksheets to complete instead of participating in Editing School.
Having said all that, and bearing in mind that this is a complete experiment on the part of your tirelessly wonderful teacher, let's make a start!! Use the menu on the left to navigate through the various levels - start at...Getting Started!